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A new Netflix drama about a shocking real-life murder has flown up the Netflix charts just one day after its release.
Based on the true story of Rachel Nickell, The Witness follows her partner André Hanscombe (Jordan Bolger) and their two-year-old son, Alexander Louis (Jahsaiah Williams), as they come to terms with her murder.
Rachel was just 23 years old when she was attacked and killed while walking around Wimbledon Common in 1992.
The only witness to her death was her child, Alex. It was a brutal crime that sent shockwaves across the UK.
The Witness then tries to capture the urgency of the police investigation and the dramatic media storm that followed the family as they tried to cope with this tragedy.
Created by Rob Williams and directed by Alex Winckler, the three-part series was released on Netflix on June 4.
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At the time of writing, The Witness is the second most-watched show on the Netflix Top Ten in the UK, and viewers have been sharing their thoughts on social media.
@chloedanielo wrote on X: ‘Jordan Bolger shines in #TheWitness, delivering a standout dramatic performance alongside a solid ensemble cast.’
‘The Witness on Netflix will give you the chills,’ added @Eojaa while @Richarmphotos said: [I’m] 15 mins into The Witness on Netflix and I’m already broken.’
On IMDb, meanwhile, one user gave the series 7/10 and wrote: ‘The Witness is a powerful and emotional true-crime drama that chooses to focus on the human cost of tragedy rather than the crime itself.’
Basically, people seem to be really moved by the series, and they’re not the only ones.
What have Rachel Nickell’s family said about The Witness
The real André Hanscombe and Alexander Louis served as consultants on The Witness.
In a statement released on the Netflix website, they said:
‘Our life has been a battle. Our journey has all been by the grace of God and a promise to go on together, and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our story in this way.
‘We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face, and to the power of faith, hope, love and never giving up.’
At the time of writing, the series has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Rebecca Nicholson of the Financial Times calling it a ‘moving family drama’.
Pat Stacey of the Irish Independent was even more effusive, however.
‘It’s unlike any true crime drama we’ve seen before, in that it’s not really a true crime drama at all,’ she wrote. ‘It’s primarily a story of survival in the most appalling circumstances.’
The Witness is available to watch now on Netflix.
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